Psychotherapeutic skill preferences of clinical psychologists, licensed clinical, psychotherapists, licensed specialist clinical social workers, and psychiatrists.

Abstract

This study investigated the psychotherapeutic skill preferences of four groups of professionals familiar with the theory and practice of psychotherapy according to (a) which skills are most helpful in bringing about positive client change through psychotherapy, (b) which models offer the most helpful skills, (c) if differences exist in skill preferences between groups, and (d) if training is reflected in practice of professionals. Participants were 105 practitioners from the fields of psychology, social work, and psychiatry in the state of Kansas. Results indicated three of the top five most useful skills were from the Humanistic model, one was from the Psychodynamic model, and one was from the Cognitive model. Skill items from the Humanistic model ranked 1st, 3rd, and 5th. The item from the Psychodynamic model ranked 2nd and the item from the Cognitive model ranked 4th place. Although the majority of therapists reported their practices as mainly Cognitive in nature, skills from the Humanistic model consistently ranked most helpful. There were few significant differences between skill preferences of groups. Differences that were apparent mainly involved Psychopharmacology. Based on ratings between training and use of models in current practice, suggestions were offered toward the improvement of academic curriculum.